I understand that "Calls to Action with specific requests directed towards members of Congress." would be a separate CTA. I'm pretty sure the 2nd CTA from CASAA didn't go to Congress, like the freetovape one will. The 2nd CTA (CASAA) went to OMB-OIRA but we had to send that ourselves. Which is fine really. Just that the idea that they (FTV) are sending it to the Reps as well as the FDA sounded like a good idea to me for those that might not make that extra effort.
I'd encourage everyone willing to use both avenues. I hope you would as well.
I think you're still missing the point that the 2nd CTA didn't go to Congress because we haven't done the Congress CTAs yet. We didn't have the CQ Roll Call set up at that point.
Even though the FTV emails go to Congress, they do not address any of the things that CASAA did in its first and second CTAs or what CASAA will address in future CTAs (other than personal testimony.) People could add those points in the FTV comments section, as you did, but how many will know to, since they were not directed to do that by FTV? How many people using the FTV form, do you think, will include comments regarding extending the comment period or the OMB-OIRA points or the over 99 questions posed by the FDA in it's propoesed rules or the economic impact analysis? It's handy that they are "killing two birds with one stone," but what, exactly, is being sent to the FDA and Congress other than a bunch of personal stories and experiences?
I'm not trying to say people shouldn't fill out the FTV form or use it, but I don't understand what it is offering to people that is above and beyond what CASAA is doing? All I can see is that it offers an easy way to send a watered down personal comment that will likely be lacking a lot of key points the FDA wants and specific action requests to Congress. Sure, there may be a few informed vapers like you utilizing the form effectively, but most will just check the boxes, tell their personal story and say things like "the FDA can't do this" or "F-you FDA."
The FDA doesn't want the personal stories and congressmen may appreciate the personal stories, but won't be getting specific requests. It just doesn't make sense that this will accomplish anything other than causing a lot of people to submit their personal story through FTV and believe that is their best (and only) course of action. You are looking at this as how YOU are using it, not how the vast majority of vapers will use it - and then do nothing else. If people use it the way you intend and then also do the CASAA CTAs, I have absolutely no problem with it. But I sincerely doubt that is what is happening. There have been over 11,000 submissions through FTV and if you look carefully, many of them are duplicates (same names repeated on the thank you page) and none of them are getting any guidance on what the FDA is looking for in comments nor what to (realistically) ask for from their congressmen.
I don't have any criticism for the IDEA that FTV had- it's a great idea on paper and it's awesome to get people involved. But the implimentation of it just falls way short for me. I fear that, in the end, it will end up being as effective as that petition to the White House from a couple of months ago. It's honestly not much more than a petition.
